Government and Community Relations
Speeches and Presentations
Going to community college is way to minimize cost, maximize learning John Parrinello, Esq. Chair, MCC Board of Trustees Democrat and Chronicle 12/26/2002 News flash from the Sunday, Dec. 15 New York Times: academically strong high school students are choosing to start college at community colleges. Given the obvious quality and economic arguments, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that our brightest high school students have turned to community colleges to launch their college careers. The New York Times article highlights a student from Rockland Community College, located just outside of Manhattan, whose 1320 SAT score and nearly 4.0 grade point average could have landed her in almost any Ivy League institution. Instead, she chose a community college where the first two years match the quality of most baccalaureate institutions. But those first two years don’t compare in price. The average SUNY community college tuition is $2,529 ($2,500 at MCC). Today’s bright and economically conscious high school students are increasingly enrolling in a community college. (And let’s face it: most of us are economically conscious these days.) There is growing interest from academically accomplished high school students in MCC, where the Honors Program grew by 32 percent this year to 430 students. Our Honors Program invites students who have outstanding ability, are curious and highly motivated to participate in honors classes and programs that provide additional challenges and experiences. More students are applying for the MCC Scholars Program. These students rank in the top 20 percent of their high school class, have at least a 90 academic average in high school, and average 1160 SAT scores. The growing interest in MCC among academically strong students was also evident in our Honors Open House last spring. Capacity issues forced us to turn away students and their families as our anticipated turnout surpassed our expectations. All of the high school seniors who attended that open house enrolled at MCC this fall. Our Phi Theta Kappa honors society, which has grown steadily since its inception in 1982, is now the second largest chapter in New York State. In the last few years, the MCC chapter has won national and international awards for its growth and programming¯testament to the highly motivated, capable students who are members. Even with all that, we still battle the misperception that only students with less than stellar academic records or thin bank balances consider MCC. Recently radio personality Bob Lonsberry dissuaded one of his callers from considering MCC. Mr. Lonsberry seemed to think that his caller could do better. Many MCC graduates would argue with him. Many of our graduates who transfer to baccalaureate institutions often tell us that their MCC professors were more accessible and more committed to teaching. Our graduates tell us that their MCC courses were the most interesting and challenging of their undergraduate career. Ask Eric Mack, MCC Class of 1996. His performance at Avon High School left him with a choice of many colleges. Eric chose MCC, where he excelled in the classroom and participated in the student newspaper. Eric’s MCC track record earned him a nearly free education at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Eric has been an editor at CBS Sportsline.com for a few years now. Eric made some wise college choices. There are many such MCC alumni stories. Add to them strong support from area baccalaureate institutions who compete for our graduates because they know how well an MCC alumnus will perform at their institution. Some area colleges even advise students to take some of their required courses at MCC¯same course, smaller price tag. If you think that MCC and this nation’s community colleges are colleges of last resort, think again and ask around. With more than 300,000 alumni, there’s a good chance a friend, neighbor, coworker or family member has attended MCC at one time or another. MCC wasn’t their only choice; it was their best choice. |
